Material handling apparatus



y 1965 J. PETCHUK MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed May 24, 1963INVENTOR. JOSEPH PETCHUK United States Patent 3,184,033 MATERIALHANDLING APPARATUS Joseph Petchuir, 222.7 Midvale Ave, Los Angeles,Calif. Filed May 24, 1963, Ser. No. 282,965 2 Claims. (Cl. 198-337) Thisinvention relates generally to material handling apparatus and moreparticularly, to an improved portable type conveyor apparatus useful inconstruction work wherein a given area is to be covered with materialsuch as cement or concrete.

In laying concrete slabs such as for commercial garage floors, factoryfloors, and the like, considerable manual labor is involved intransporting the cement from a source to the particular area to becovered. Generally, push or power carts, cranes or similar means areused by several men to deposit the concrete in various portions of thearea preparatory to forming the slab.

While conveyor systems have been provided for delivering the concrete toa convenient location close to the area on which the slab is to beconstructed, there is still required the transportation of the cement orconcrete from the delivery conveyor to positions to cover the area onwhich the slab is to be formed.

With the foregoing in mind, it is a primary object of this invention toprovide an improved portable type material handling apparatus,particularly designed for delivering concrete from a source to cover agiven area in a continuous manner so that an entire concrete slab may beformed relatively quickly.

More particularly, it is an object to provide a material handlingapparatus capable of being operated by one individual for distributingmaterial over a given area in a very rapid manner as compared to priorart means, to the end that considerable savings in labor and costs canbe effected.

Briefly, these and other objects and advantages of this invention areattained by providing a material depositing conveyor means including anelongated cantilevered conveyor portion. This material depositingconveyor means is rotatably mounted with respect to a base support suchthat the cantilevered conveyor portion may be swung over a relativelylarge arc. The mounting for the conveyor means also includes meansenabling retracting of the elongated cantilevered portion thereof, sothat the depositing end of the conveyor may be swung over smaller arcsand by progressive retraction and subsequent swinging of the conveyor,an entire area may be covered with material supplied to the conveyor ina relatively rapid manner.

The entire apparatus itself is relatively small and may be operated byone man who effects the swinging and retracting movements of thedepositing conveyor so that a desired area may be covered with materialsuch as cement or concrete.

A better understanding of the invention will be had by now referring toa preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the material handling apparatus ofthis invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view thereof useful in explaining the operationof the apparatus; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary cross-section showing certain details of theapparatus.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, the apparatus includes a base support 14for supporting a table means. This table means includes telescopingcolumn structures 11 and i2 mounting a table 13. The telescoping columnstructures 11 and 12 and table 13 may rotate as a unit within the basesupport 10, there being provided a simple thrust hearing within thissupport. Also, the telescoping column structures 11 and 12 may betelescoped outwardly as will 1 be described subsequently to raise andlower the level of the table 13.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the table 13 includes an open frame structure 14secured to its rear end. This frame structure serves to support an arm15 which extends over the top of the table 13 as shown. The arm 15, inturn, carries a rotatable thrust type bearing 16 which serves to supportthe end of a delivery table 17 supporting a material delivery conveyor18. The arrangement is such that the axis of rotation of the bearing 16is coaxial with the axis of rotation A of the table 13 and telescopingcolumns 11 and 12 within the base support 10'.

The material delivery conveyor structures 17 and 18 may constituteconventional apparatus wherein material such as concrete 19 may bedelivered to a certain location. Ordinarily, the concrete 19 would bedumped by the delivery conveyor 18 into a workers push or power cart,and thence this material transported by the worker to a specificlocation. With the apparatus of the present invention, however, the endof the delivery conveyor 13 and platform 17 is supported over the thrustbearing 16 so that the table structure 13 may rotate beneath thisconveyor while the conveyor support platform 17 is stationary.

Mounted on the table 33 is a material depositing conveyor meansincluding a supporting conveyor 20 having rollers for enablinglongitudinal movement back and forth on top of the table 13. Thissupporting conveyor 20 in turn supports a principal conveyor 21including an elongated cantilevered conveyor portion terminating in adepositing end 21. As indicated, this principal conveyor is mounted forlongitudinal movement along the supporting conveyor 2% so that theprincipal conveyor may be retracted or extended, the rear end portionthereof passing through the open frame structure is.

In order to provide sufficient stabilization for this structure, thereis provided a hydraulic cylinder 22 and piston 23 connected at 24 to thefront end of the supporting conveyor 20 and at 25 to a supportingplatform 26 secured to the column 11. The connections 24 and 2Sconstitute pivot-s so that support will be provided continuously duringoutward movement of the table 13 and the material depositing conveyormeans mounted thereon.

Hydraulic fiuid for the cylinder 22 to enable it to extend the piston 23or retract the same and thus control longitudinal movement of thesupporting conveyor 20, is provided by a motor 27 and hydraulic pump 28mounted on the rear of the platform 26 to provide a counter-balanceweight for the extended cantilevered end of the depositing conveyor 21.Further weights may be added to the platform 26 if desired.

With reference to FIGURE 2, it will be noted that as a consequence ofsupporting the end of the delivery conveyor 18 in the thrust bearing 16in coaxial alignment with the axis of rotation A of the table 13, theend of the delivery conveyor 18 will be properly positioned to delivermaterial such as concrete to the principal conveyor and table structure.In other words, the swinging of the princi pal conveyor in an horizontalplane about the axis A takes place while the delivery conveyor 18 iscoaxial with the center of rotation of the conveyor 21, material willalways be deposited on the conveyor during swinging movement thereof.

FIGURE 3 illustrates one means for supporting the cantilevered endportion 21 of the conveyor 21. As shown, there may be provided pairs ofupper and lower rollers 29 sandwiching the lower flange of a side memberconstituting part of the conveyor 20. Similarly, the conveyor 2.1 may belocked against any possible tilting move ment by pairs of upper andlower rollers 36 sandwiching the lower flange of a side memberconstituting part of the conveyor 21.

are rose top of the principal conveyor 21 and operation of this conveyorwill transport the concrete to the depositing end 21'. Initially, theprincipal conveyor 21 is extended to the right as viewed in FIGURE 1 sothat the cantilevered end portion thereof is at its furtherest distancefrom the main base support structureilii. In this instance, thesupporting conveyor 24 will be extended to the dotted line positionillustrated in FIGURE 1 to provide proper support for the principalconveyor 21.

With reference now to FIGURE 2, and with the conveyor 21 extended to itsmaximum position, the table 13 may be swung about the axis A so that thedepositing end 21 of the conveyor 21 describes an are such as indicatedat 31 in FIGURE 2. As the end 21 of the conveyor describes this are,material will be deposited therefrom onto the area and after onecomplete swing, the'depositing end 21 of the principal conveyor zl maybe retracted, the rear end of the conveyor passing through the openframe 14 as described heretofore in conjunction with FIGURE 1. Thisretraction takes place in progressive steps by operation of thehydraulic cylinder 22 and by simple manual pulling of the conveyor 21rearwardly.

After retraction of a given amount, the conveyor 21' is swung back alonga smaller are such as indicated at 32 continuously depositing materialduring this swinging movement. The next retraction will enable thedepositing end 21' to swing along a still smaller are such as 33. Thus,an entire area may readily be covered by material initially depositedfrom the delivery conveyor 18 to the principal conveyor 21.

The telescoping columns 11 and 12 described in FIG- URE 1 may beprovided with hydraulic fluid from the same pump 28 as supplies fluid tothe cylinder 22 to raise and lower the table 13; By this arrangement,the level of the end of the principal conveyor 21 above the particulararea to be covered with material may be adjusted.

. Various valves and the like for operating the hydraulic cylinder 22and the telescoping columns .11 and 12 are entirely conventional and,therefore, are not set forth or described. The entire apparatus issufliciently light in construction to enable a single workman to swingthe table 13 manually about the axis A, and to retract or extend theprincipal conveyor 21 relative to the supporting conveyor as thedepositing of the material takes place. Thus, an entire area may becovered by a single workman in a very short time to the end thatconstruction of concrete slabs, or the depositing of gravelor similarmaterial is greatly facilitated and can be effected with considerablyless labor and cost than has heretofore been required.

While swinging and retracting movements of the conveyor have beendescribed as being'eifected manually, motors could be used to performthese movements.

From the foregoing description, it will thus be evident that the presentinvention has provided a greatly improved material handling apparatus.While only one specific embodiment of the invention has been set forth,various changes that fall clearly within the scope and spirit of theinvention will occur to those skilled in the art. Theinvention istherefore not to be thought of as limited to the particular materialhandling apparatus set forth merely for illustrative purposes.

What is claimed is: a

1. A material handling apparatus fo'r'depositing material over a givenarea comprising, in combination: a base support; telescoping columnmeans rotatably supported by and extending upwardly from said basesupport; a table mounted to the upper end of said telescoping'columnmeans; an open frame structure extending upwardly from one edge of saidtable and including an arm extendingoverrsaid table in vertical spacedrelationship thereto; a thrust bearing supported at the end of said armin coaxial alignment with the axis of rotation of said column means andtable for supporting a material delivery conveyor; and amaterialdepositing conveyor means mounted on said table beneath saidmaterial delivery conveyor and including a supporting conveyor mountedon top of said table for movement therealong; and a principal conveyorincluding an elongated cantilever conveyor portion mounted on top ofsaid supporting conveyor for movement along said supporting conveyor,said conveyor means being movable longitudinally along said table withthe rear end thereof passing through said open frame structure androtatable with said table so that the far end of said cantileveredconveyor portion may be swept over an arc of 360, thence retracted andswept over an arc of smaller radius, and so forth to deposit saidmaterial over said given area.

'2. A material handling apparatus according to claim 1, including ahydraulic cylinder and piston extending between said base support andthe forward end of said supporting conveyor for stabilizing saidsupporting conveyor; andhydraulic pump means secured to said basesupport for supplying fluid to said hydraulic cylinder as saidsupporting conveyor and principal conveyor are extended and forsupplying fluid to said telescoping column means for raising said table.

References Cited by the Examiner V UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,261,179 4/18Stuart 198-97 FOREIGN PATENTS 550,878 7/50 Canada. 610,340 9/26 France.451,435 8/36 Great Britain.

7 2,8 16 7/56 Great Britain.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner, EDWARD A, SRQKA, Examiner,

1. A MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS FOR DEPOSITING MATERIAL OVER A GIVENAREA COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A BASE SUPPORT; TELESCOPING COLUMNMEANS ROTATABLY SUPPORTED BY AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID BASESUPPORT; A TABLE MOUNTED TO THE UPPER END OF SAID TELESCOPING COLUMNMEANS; AN OPEN FRAME STRUCTURE EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM ONE EDGE OF SAIDTABLE AND INCLUDING AN ARM EXTENDING OVER SAID TABLE IN VERTICAL SPACEDRELATIONSHIP THERETO; A THRUST BEARING SUPPORTED AT THE END OF SAID ARMIN COAXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID COLUMN MEANS ANDTABLE FOR SUPPORTING A MATERIAL DELIVERY CONVEYOR; AND A MATERIALDEPOSITING CONVEYOR MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID TABLE BENEATH SAID MATERIALDELIVERY CONVEYOR AND INCLUDING A SUPPORTING CONVEYOR MOUNTED ON TOP OFSAID TABLE FOR MOVEMENT THEREALONG; AND A PRINCIPAL CONVEYOR INCLUDINGAN ELONGATED CANTILEVER CONVEYOR PORTION MOUNTED ON TOP OF SAIDSUPPORTING CONVEYOR FOR MOVEMENT ALONG SAID SUPPORTING CONVEYOR, SAIDCONVEYOR MEANS BEING MOVABLE LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID TABLE WITH THEREAR END THEREOF PASSING THROUGH SAID OPEN FRAME STRUCTURE AND ROTATABLEWITH SAID TABLE SO THAT THE FAR END OF SAID CANTILEVERED CONVEYORPORTION MAY BE SWEPT OVER AN ARC OF 360*, THENCE RETRACTED AND SWEPTOVER AN ARC OF SMALLER RADIUS, AND SO FORTH TO DEPOSIT SAID MATERIALOVER SAID GIVEN AREA.